Somerville Journal sports editor remembers his Uncle Buddy and Somerville's great family values

Joe McConnell jmcconnell@wickedlocal.com @joesportsWL

Thursday

Oct 11, 2018 at 3:59 PMOct 11, 2018 at 5:16 PM

Last Friday, Oct. 5, my Uncle Buddy, a Somerville native and member of the dwindling Greatest Generation, died at the age of 94. He helped raise five children with his late wife Ann Kathleen (Kitty) Wadland in their Atherton Street home, where the doors were always open to relatives and close friends who needed a place to stay in their time of need. It was all about family for Buddy and Kitty.

The Wadland patriarch was born William Andrew Wadland on Feb. 25, 1924, and it was certainly a different Somerville in his and his kids’ formative years than it is today.

Instead of developers, self-serving politicians and transients, Somerville was made up of families who took care of each other. They didn’t seek any fanfare. They were just hard-working people, without notoriety, who had their priorities in order.

They were willing to sacrifice, and as a result it made the city of Somerville a close-knit community. Neighbors actually knew each other, and in time of need they were always there to help each other out, even if it was just a few kind words.

Frequently, the neighborhood kids would visit each other’s homes as if they were their own. They were just another extension of the family.

That trait was prevalent on Atherton Street, where you had the Carnes, Judges, Rossettis and, of course, the Wadland clan. They felt very comfortable being in each other’s homes, while the parents kept everything under control.

The Carr School playground – today it’s a condo development, of course – was their favorite hangout, close enough in proximity so their parents didn’t need to be overly concerned.

Parents like Buddy and Kitty made sure the center of a kid’s world was a sense of family, and today their kids have stepped up to follow in their footsteps. They were willing to enter into the adoption process to make a kid’s life better in a stable family environment.

It’s a legacy that Buddy should be proud of, as his job is now complete, while leaving his piece of the world in a much better place. The movers and shakers and social engineers in today’s world can learn something from this philosophy, and understand their way is not necessarily the best way.

Joe McConnell is the sports editor for the Somerville Journal, and he can be reached at jmcconnell@wickedlocal.com.